Historical Aroostook County timberland and wildlife habitat conserved

The Woodie Wheaton Land Trust announced last week that it had completed a major land acquisition within the East Grand Lake watershed that will conserve 3,053 acres along the headwaters of the Chiputneticook Lakes system.

According to a news release, the parcel of land included in The Headwaters Project borders 9.4 miles of Monument Stream in Amity, and includes forested uplands and riparian wetlands along Greenleaf and Glendenning brooks. In the south, the land abuts another parcel of 7,486 acres that was originally acquired as part of the East Grand Watershed initiative and which has subsequently been conveyed to the Maine Bureau of Public Lands.

The Woodie Wheaton Land Trust purchased the land for the Headwaters Project from Lakeville Shores, part of the H.C. Haynes family of forest businesses. The trust will continue to pay property taxes and related forest fees, and is developing a management plan that will include traditional uses such as hunting and fishing. The purchase was made possible through a generous gift from Sam and Betty Shine of Indiana.

According to the release, the purchase and conservation effort means that more than 10,000 acres of wild land along the border with New Brunswick in Amity and Orient will be under active conservation.

In the conserved parcels are 300 acres of wetlands that are favored habitat for dozens of species of birds; Monument Brook, along with its tributaries, hold resident populations of brook trout.